Senior Carter Bird learns the Healer’s art by providing care not only to others’ physical bodies but also to their souls
Carter Bird stood in a hospital hallway in Spain, just steps away from a patient fighting for his life.
The man had two collapsed lungs. As medical professionals worked urgently to stabilize him, Bird, a student nurse visiting a foreign country, could do nothing but watch.
He remembered the helplessness he felt, believing there was nothing he could do to help the patient.
Then a different thought came: “wait — you can pray for him. I turned my feelings heavenward and I was like, ‘Heavenly Father, I just need you to help take care of this man.’”
This moment of reflection, turning to the Savior in a time of need, reflects what Bird has learned in the nursing program at BYU. While much of the coursework focuses on understanding the human body, the program emphasizes a higher commission: learning to care for the soul.
That perspective became especially meaningful during his experience in Spain, where, in a moment of uncertainty, he turned to prayer and discovered another way to provide care— through faith and compassion.
But his journey to BYU almost didn’t happen.
Three years ago, Bird was at Utah State University. Then he made a bold decision. He moved to Provo and applied to BYU’s nursing program, taking a leap of faith that would reshape his future. “The Lord has never failed me in the past and every time I’ve trusted in Him, I ended up where I needed to go.”
Letting go and placing one’s life in God’s hands is not easy. Yet Bird shares that his testimony has been strengthened as he has learned to trust in God’s plan and timing, especially when his own plans fall apart. His path to BYU and his time in the nursing program have been marked by moments that required him to set aside carefully laid expectations and rely on something higher.
These experiences were not without challenges. Just as things seemed to fall into place, new obstacles would arise. In those moments, Bird returned to the same principle of surrendering his will to God and trusting that he was being led where he needed to be.
That trust has not only shaped Bird’s future but also inspired a desire to help others find their place within God’s plan. He sees the “light” he has received at BYU as something he is meant to share. He believes that this light comes through specific “gifts from God” that he has been given.
“Interacting with all these different people in so many different cultures,” Bird shared. “I’ve really come to know of not only God’s love for them, but also God’s love for me and how he’s equipped me with these skills to help other people.”
When Bird first arrived at BYU, he was determined to get involved. He joined the Spanish for Nurses Club, building on the Spanish he developed during his mission, an early example of how one of those gifts could be used to bless others. That one choice opened the door for him to flourish.
He joined the board as the service coordinator, where he found Spanish-speaking volunteers to help at the volunteer care clinic in Provo. He now serves as president of the Spanish for Nurses Club, participates in the triathlon club, and works at the BYU Mary Jane Rawlinson Geertson Nursing Learning Center. Bird has fully immersed himself in campus life, finding meaningful connections along the way.
His involvement has led to research trips in Paraguay, where he worked with professors, other nursing students and non-governmental organizations to help create and teach lessons on personal health practices, first aid and reproductive health.
Bird later presented some of the findings of the research in Australia, showing the impact that BYU’s light can have across the world. He also presented at a BYU conference to top university donors, faculty and members of the presidency, explaining how their contributions support this research. He expressed gratitude for their generosity and demonstrated the global impact of their donations in improving lives and spreading the light of the gospel.
His involvement led him to study abroad in Spain, where he did research with another professor that focused on cultural humility in nursing. He has recently submitted a research paper on that topic for publication.
Bird views these opportunities not simply as achievements, but as extensions of the gifts God has given him. They are tools that have allowed him to share his light through service, learning and education.
Bird’s experience at BYU has shaped his life so profoundly that he now aspires to return as a professor, offering future students the same transformative opportunities he once received.
“I’d love to be able to provide the opportunity for other students and help train more people to continue to share that light,” Bird said. “To share the gospel through nursing [and] through medical care.”
As BYU ends the celebration of its sesquicentennial year, Bird continues to share his light by caring for the soul at home, in his community and around the world.
